From Lima to Stockholm
by Stresses
Summary: From the moment he saw he consumed him entirely. He basked in her beauty, her strength, her brilliance. He wanted to be immersed in all that was her. He could only call this one thing - obsession. He would have her, all of her or this world would watch as they burned together, forever.
1. Prologue

_Obsessional does not necessarily mean sexual obsession, not even obsession for this or for that in particular; to be an obsessional means to find oneself caught in a mechanism, in a trap increasingly demanding and endless._

 _ **Jacques Lacan**_

It was born on August 23th 1973 in a bank – it's funny how everything is somehow centered on money isn't it – in Stockholm, Sweden. One bank robber, four hostages and six days later, the world had a new topic of conversation. It gets its name sake from the place it originated, Stockholm syndrome.

Yes, Stockholm syndrome, the psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with the captors.

Twenty three years later in Peru, its other half came into being, Lima syndrome.

Yes, Lima syndrome, the phenomenon in which the abductors develop sympathy for their captives.


	2. In the Darkness I saw Her

_Chapter 1 :- In the Darkness I saw her_

 _I wanted to see you again, touch you, know who you were, see if I would find you identical with the ideal image of you which had remained with me and perhaps shatter my dream with the aid of reality._

 ** _-Claude Frollo_ _  
_ _―_ _Victor Hugo_ _,_ _The Hunchback Of Notre Dame_**

It is dark the first time he sees her. But even the darkness can't hide the look of determination in her eyes. And that very determination can't mask the fear that lies beneath. Leonard Snart thinks it's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

Her hazel eyes are hard and cold but they aren't fixed on him. Her gaze is locked on the scarlet speedster on the ground. Snart only has a moment to admire those expressive eyes before he has to return his attention to the bigger problem. The superior weapon aimed in his direction is worthy of dragging his attention away from her, if only for a second. The younger man holds the gun with shaking hands, probably because he never held a gun before.

He makes the threat in a quivering voice, unsure whether he can act out his word but Snart doesn't want to play Russian roulette with these people. So he does the logical thing, he concedes. He knows all too well what emotions can do to a person and emotions are running high right now. A physical altercation with these people is not in his manifesto at the moment. He knows better than to start something, because it's when you back the snake into the corner that it strikes.

So with a resigned sigh, Snart lowers his own freeze gun. He gives the speedster one parting look before making his way off the train tracks. The young man with the gun tells him something but Snart just ignores him. As he walks past the makeshift rescue team his eyes linger on the brunette again. The fear mixed with determination has dissipated from her eyes and the look of relief take over. He wishes he could get the look of fear back into her eyes. They were quite beautiful when filled with fear.

Her soft pink lips have stretched into a thin, weak smile directed again at the speedster lying on the ground. Snart dislikes the look of respite instantly. Relief is a fickle emotion, volatile in every way and fleeting. Impulsiveness and emotions go hand in hand. He had never had time for such trivial things like emotions.

He sees that she is the first to rush over to the fallen super hero.

No one is paying attention to him so no one sees him stumble over a piece of the metal track when the brunette speaks.

"Are you all right?" she queries.

Her voice is soft and comforting, just as he imagined it would be. It caresses his ears like a melody. Snart tries to imagine what it would sound like to have his name tumble from her perfect lips. To have her concern directed at him. He wonders if it would send shiver down his spine to hear the syllables of his name being formed by her luscious lips. With each steps he takes her voices becomes less distinct and Snart fights the urge to turn around and go back, even if it is to simply hear her voice again.

Snart doesn't catch her name but her image has ingrained itself in his subconscious permanently. If he closes his eyes he can see her perfectly. He can picture her rosy pink lips curled up in a smile directed towards him. He can see how the dim street lamp reflects on her brown tresses and the way they tumble down her back and lay gently on her shoulders. Her expressive hazel eyes will haunt his waking dreams now.

He yearns now to know her name.

Leonard Snart is a procurer of beautiful things, of precious things, of valuable unique things that hold some meaning. He has no love for a prosaic world but he is not a wastrel. He has learned to adore that which is in his possession. He is a connoisseur of the finer things in life and appreciates beauty in all its forms. If he sees something he likes he takes it. He doesn't care how he gets it but if he must have it, he will get it. He does whatever needs to be done to obtain that which he desires.

She is a being of unmatched beauty in his eyes.

A deity worthy of his eternal worship.

A creature that this grimy dirty world is unfit to behold.

She is a treasure and a possession worth having.

She has now been added to his list of wants.

His walk back to his safe house is quiet, uneventful. People walk pass him and don't spare a second glance in his direction. This is how Snart likes it. To blend into the background, never catch anyone's attention, be one with the masses. Living his life by that principle had made his life simple; has made his job so much easier.

However, for the first time in his life he wants to be noticed, if only by her. Snart wants her full attention on him. He wants her reason to breathe to be him. He wants to be the sun around which her world orbits. He wants her to need him like she needs oxygen to live, because like a moth to a flame he is drawn to her.

It is irrational this sudden feeling of yearning. In all his life Leonard Snart has never cared much for the opposite sex. To fulfill primal urges, yes they have been useful, but they have never held a place in his thoughts. They were like tools, to be used when there was a need for them. So this sudden, all- consuming feeling towards a woman whose name he did not even know, well it was highly irrational. But he cannot drive this feeling away. He sees her image every time he blinks. He hears her voice above the cacophony of the city. He wants to know her name, wants her to know his. Although he is sure she already does if his reputation is anything to go by.

Snart is so engrossed in his thoughts that he fails to realise that he has already reached his safe house. He take refuge in an old ware house on the lonelier said of the city. The place is much quieter here. It gives him the peace and solitude he so desires when he has to think. He knows his thoughts should be on how to overcome the newest obstacle placed in his way but his focus always seems to drift. The scarlet speedster will undoubtedly become a nuisance to deal with in the upcoming future.

He takes his time to move about the ware house and put things in place. As he takes out the metal gun case, he pauses for a moment to stare at the cold gun in his hand. It was a play of fate that he ended up with the cold gun. However, its usefulness was now become more prominent. In many ways the cold was the scarlet speedster's kryptonite. Or was it?

They all really were very new to this game of good and evil, crime and justice, Snart could tell. Running round in costumes, saving children from burning building and breaking up bank robberies, it was them acting out their childhood fantasies. In many ways Snart guessed he was very much like them. Becoming a villain like the ones in the stories. But the difference between him and them was that Snart knew how to play this game well. They were new pieces to the chess board. The scarlet speedster at least had the decency to wear a mask. The others had just barged in, identities for all to see and the silly notion of heroism fueling their actions. It even brought a smirk to Snart's lips when he thought about their innocent naivety. It was in away refreshing, their impulsive actions. But impulsiveness never won anyone the game did it.

Really Snart didn't know why he was complaining. If they had come in masks and costumes he never would have gotten the chance to see her face. If they were cool and collected, and didn't let their emotions run rampant, he would have never gotten to witness what true beauty mingled with terror looked like. If they didn't wear their hearts on their sleeves, he would have never gotten to hear her sweet voice echo through the cold night. So in many ways he was thankful for their blunder.

He still yearns to know her name. So he abandons all thoughts about his scarlet wearing nemesis and opts to centralize his focus on the brunette beauty that had occupied his subconscious thoughts. Her image still trails behind him like a spectre, reaching out to him. He tries to ignore its alluring call, like a siren calling him to her depths because the echo of her voice entrances him.

When he can no longer battle his obsessive thoughts, he concedes and gives in to the urge to know her name. So Snart grabs his lap top and sits at his desk staring at his web browser. Snart's fingers are poised just above the letters of the key board. He hesitates for a moment. The thought of actually putting a name to this beautiful face has suddenly become terrifying.

He hates to admit it but he fears that reality will be his downfall once again. Will she be equivalent to the figure that he has created in his head? Will reality for once coincide with his dreams or will he be disappointed once again?

Snart knows he cannot prolong the inevitable so plunges into his search head first. He knows the cowardly do not live to see their desires become reality. So he pushed his nonsensical thoughts to the back of his mind and briskly types away on his key board.

He pulls up the S.T.A.R Labs official website and proceeds to look through the staff profiles. He scans through the list of employees with a keen eye, refusing to pause until he sees her warm hazel eyes and soft brown hair. Snart goes through hundreds of employees – engineers, doctors, chemists, biologists – and still he has not found her name.

His hope dwindles when he comes up to the last page of the list. There he spots the young man from the train tracks. His name is Cisco Ramon. He is a mechanical engineer at S.T.A.R. Labs. The boy's credentials are impressive and his achievements are even more noteworthy. But he isn't who Snart is looking for.

When Leonard finally finds her name near the bottom of the list he feels relief. There she is staring back at him through the screen on the lap top. She looks just as she did earlier that night. Soft curls resting gently on slim shoulder. Beauty hazel eyes set up above high cheeks bones tinted red and pink lips set into a demure smile.

She is heavenly.

Snart clicks the link and goes to her profile. Hers is just as impressive as Cisco's - a young bio-engineer with a focus on genetics. One of S.T.A.R Labs most promising young minds. A pioneer amongst her peers and a bright future on the horizon. However, she has suffered he notes. A career crushed by an experiment that was supposed to be the stepping stone to the rest of their lives. A reputation annihilated by association, an accessory to disaster. But it just makes her more desirable to him. A broken soul just like him.

A smile manages to curl it way across Snart face because for once reality has decided to run parallel with his desires.

Snart finds more pictures of her and prints them out. He looks at the collage of pictures he has pinned to the board in the centre of the safe house.

Her name falls from his lips like a silent prayer as he drags a finger across a picture of her smiling face.

"Caitlin Snow."


	3. In my Heart I will keep Her

_Chapter 2 :- In my Heart I Will Keep Her_

" _Is it love, obsession, infatuation? You don't know. You think of a strange and beautiful word you read about once, Limerance, a psychological term, meaning an obsessive love, a state that's almost like a drug. Need like a wolf paces the perimeter of your world, back and forth, back and forth, never letting up. ...You're appalled by the new appetites within you, kicking their feet and clawing to get out."_ _  
_ _―_ _Nikki Gemmell_

It's been days since the incident at the train track and Leonard Snart has not resurfaced. He has kept low and out of trouble. He has brooded for days trying to figure out whether or not these feeling that have been creeping around his mind and heart are true. A small voice in the back of his mind shouts at him that the feelings he had been having for a woman he barely knew were simply lust induced, that he was caught up the moment by her subtle beauty and those irrational notions would vanish with time.

But a larger, louder voice booms over the other. In its uproar it tells him that no these aren't irrational thoughts and that yes he is justified to lust and long for this beauty. The voice preaches that he needs her. It says that she should belong to him and this damned world does not deserve the privilege basking in her radiance. The louder voice commands him. It drives him to acknowledge the desire that he has for Caitlin. It coerces him to give in to his yearning for her, even if the little voice continues to try to tell him otherwise.

Caitlin Snow.

Since the night he discovered her name, she has been on his brain. Her image flashes beneath his eyelids every time he blinks. Leonard can't stop himself from thinking about her. As much as has he tried to resist the urge he finds himself going back to her profile on the S.T.A.R. Labs website and rereading her script. He always needs the reassurance that this image he has formed in his head and reality have really run the same path.

In the middle of the day , when there is a lull in his schedule he finds himself staring at the board of pictures he has collected of her. The collage of pictures displaying her face has grown over the pass days. Snart has added a few new additions since that first night. He's gone through her Facebook, profile – and Cisco's and just about anyone's who he thinks has a deep connection with her. He has searched for anything and everything connected to her. His desire to expand his knowledge on Caitlin Snow is comparable to a man depraved of oxygen searching for his next breath.

It's while he's searching through her Facebook profile that he discovers Ronnie Raymond- the fiancé- or rather deceased fiancé. He sees pictures of them smiling brightly up through the screen and he feels his anger flare. Leonard's hand clench into tight fists because this man has his filthy hands on _his_ girl. He has to swallow the snarl that threatens to erupt when he sees the picture of Caitlin and Ronnie.

But his vision goes red and no dam can hold back the flood of rage that bubbles up through him when he reads her status on Facebook as still engaged. She hasn't changed her status yet and it's been what almost a year since the particle accelerator exploded?

Curiosity gets the better of him and Leonard searches for Ronnie Raymond. He was much easier to find than Caitlin. He was a structural engineer working alongside the team at S.T.A.R Labs during the construction of the particle accelerator. The young man's resume isn't as brilliant as Caitlin's or Cisco's but he is by no means lacking sensibility. It's fortunate for him that he's not in the picture anymore; Snart would hate to go up against such a handsome face for the affection of his dearest.

If truth be told Snart would have had no problem snatching Caitlin away from Ronnie. He is after all, in essence, a thief, although he prefers procurer of precious commodities - and Caitlin is indeed precious. But that fact that Ronnie Raymond is no longer amongst the living just make thing easier for Snart. There won't be any terrible disputes when the time comes for Caitlin to come with him.

It still stuns Leonard how hard and fast he has fallen for Caitlin and his thoughts will not give him a reprieve. Like film on a never ending reel, her images play on and on in his mind. Her voice still echoes against the walls of his safe house in the wee hours of the morning. It rouses him from his slumber to stare blankly at the ceiling as her voice and those four simple words continue to play on repeat. Those four simple words, " _Are you all right?_ " A simple question as any. And yet he can recall how she pronounced each syllable of each word, as if she were standing in front of him asking him the very same question.

It pulls on his heart strings to think that her kind and gentle words were directed at that God forsaken scarlet speedster. How he would revel in the sensation of his name falling from her beautiful lips.

The more Snart dwells on Caitlin the more he begins to realise that pictures can no longer suffice. The urge to actually see the woman who has been haunting his thoughts has begun its slow burn. Now with each hour that passes during the day it strokes the fire in his heart until it is a roaring inferno in his chest. But the question remains.

Does he give into his urge and go and seek Caitlin out?

Does he sit in his safe house and brood over her pictures like a love sick puppy?

Leonard contemplates all these questions.

Every single day of his life, Leonard Snart has lived each one as if he were walking into a battle arena – ready to fight with everything he has. Every step he takes has been carefully measured and every turn leads to a known destination, all of which have been carefully mapped out. He was taught a long time ago that you could never leave anything to chance. Fate was an amusing little fictitious thing people made up as a means to justify the wrong things that have happened in their life. He has never ever been a believer of fate. If he was then he would have to believe it was fated that his mother would die when he and his sister were so young, and that it was fated that he would have an abusive good for nothing father. You can easily see why Leonard Snart thought nothing was ever fated to happen.

He has been tactician in every aspect of his life; Snart knows what decisions he has to make for the betterment of his life. But for once he is stumped, never has he been in such a quandary. There is a metaphorical war brewing between his heart and his head. And this is because for once he does not know where this obsession of his will lead. He does not know if this new found longing will bring any sort of betterment to his life.

He was always thought to lead with his head first- the heart is often biased in its choices.

Early on in his life he learned that nothing good ever came from following your heart and letting it dictate your course of action. It was because of a broken heart that his father became a wreck and a child abusing scoundrel. It was a hopeful heart that had kept him and Lisa in the house with their father for as long as they did.

That same hopeful heart that made them believe that each bruising blow inflicted on their bodies was simply a stepping towards their father's salvation. The scars and bruises that lined Leonard's back were a testament to the truth that having a heart would only make you weak, because we all have only one heart to break.

But now….oh now, didn't the world have a cruel dirty sense of humor?

Because now his heart had recaptured the reigns and was steering his action on a different path.

Logically, Leonard Snart knew he should feel absolutely nothing for Caitlin Snow. If logic ruled – as it should- he would have despised this woman from the tip of her toes to the apex of her head. But he doesn't. He can't bring himself to hate her, to hate anything about her- even when there are so many things he could hate. First and foremost being the fact that she worked with and maybe even for the scarlet speedster. However, not even that can cause a diminution in his infatuation.

Nothing he has found so far about her past or her present has diverted his feelings. The little voice is his head is still screaming and trying to dissuade him but the other voice stills over powers it, bellowing out that his internal compass had now found it true north.

So for once, Snart is going to follow his illogical heart and let it lead him to her. He is going to give in to his irrational urge and see his beauty in the light of day and not under the pallid light of the fluorescent bulb.

Tomorrow he will see her bathed in the shining brilliance of the sun.


	4. In the Sunlight I will watch Her

_Chapter 3 :- In the Sunlight I Will Watch Her_

" _The first time I saw you, my heart fell. The second time I saw you, my heart fell. The third time fourth time fifth time and every time since, my heart has fallen._ _  
_ _I stared at her._ _  
_ _You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. Your hair, your eyes, your lips, your body that you haven't grown into, the way you walk, smile, laugh, the way your cheeks drop when you're mad or upset, the way you drag your feet when you're tired. Every single thing about you is beautiful._ _  
_ _I stared at her._ _  
_ _When I see you the World stops. It stops and all that exists for me is you and my eyes staring at you. There's nothing else. No noise, no other people, no thoughts or worries, no yesterday, no tomorrow. The World just stops and it is a beautiful place and there is only you. Just you, and my eyes staring at you._ _  
_ _I stared._ _  
_ _When you're gone, the World starts again, and I don't like it as much. I can live in it, but I don't like it. I just walk around in it and wait to see you again and wait for it to stop again. I love it when it stops. It's the best fucking thing_ _I've ever known or ever felt, the best thing, and that, beautiful Girl, is why I stare at you."_

 __ _―_ _James Frey_ _,_ _A Million Little Pieces_

Caitlin has always considered herself a creature of habit. From early childhood all the way to adulthood, Caitlin has had structure in her life. Even when Ronnie barreled into her orbit, bringing with him his spontaneity, she had held a certain degree of order and organization when proceeding through day to day life.

So it is not unusual that at precisely seven o'clock Caitlin exits her apartment and locks the door securely behind her. She takes a moment to admire the serenity of the early morning. The city is still calm, just the soothing hum of commuters making their way to work and the sun shines lazily down on Central City bathing the entire place in its pale yellow light.

Caitlin pulls her ice blue coat tighter around her neck. There's a slight chill in the air heralding the arrival of the fall. The fall has always been her favorite time of the year with the changing of the leaves and the bite of the chilly wind. The fall atmosphere solidifies her decision to walk to work today. It's been a while since she embraced the city.

Ever since Ronnie's death, Caitlin had closed herself off to the world. She functioned for the sole purpose of survival and lived her day to day life in monotonous loop of typicality. That period of time just after the particle accelerator exploded was a blank space in her memory. There are vague images that swirl on the edge of her subconscious now and then that she recognizes but for the most part she recalls nothing but the empty feeling in her chest.

Then one day Dr. Wells had roused her from her mourning and brought her back to the labs alongside Cisco. They were the only two left at the S.T.A.R Labs- the only two loyal enough to stay. He brought them back for the sole purpose of helping him take care of a young man who had been struck with lightning the night the particle accelerator had exploded.

At the time Caitlin didn't realize it but that had been her salvation.

As with everything in her life, Caitlin had dived in head first into the task of taking care of the comatose young man. It offered her a distraction from her dark thoughts that plagued her mind in her every spare moment. Caitlin never told anyone but she had contemplated the thought of giving it all up more than she would like to admit. Her life felt so lonely and useless, devoid of all meaning. Her reputation had been dragged through the dirt, her once promising career now non-existent and the icing on the cake, her fiancé dead.

So needless to say that her mind had gone to very dark and disturbing corners the likes of which she could scarcely fathom.

As Caitlin walked along the pavement she inhaled the crisp morning air. She had forgotten how much she loved alfresco walking. So long had she been drowning in her own sorrows that she had lost most of herself. When Ronnie left he had taken a big piece of Caitlin with him - gone their spontaneous date nights and luncheon outings to the park and corner coffee shops. He had taken with him to his death bed the life Caitlin wanted for herself. All that was left of her was a hollowed out depraved shell.

Ronnie's ghost had haunted her for so long, like a spectre trailing behind. His memory haunted her everywhere she went. There was once a time when everything thing about Central City had reminded her of him. The Italian Restaurant on Sixth Street where they had their first date. The bench in the park where they shared their first kiss. The little café just down the road from the lab that they always snuck away to for lunch.

All these little reminders that were just mocking her and throwing it back in her face that she could never go back to these places without the lingering memory of Ronnie in the back of her mind, sneering at her. The pictures of both of them at her apartment seemed to laugh at her whenever she dared look at them.

The very place she worked was the biggest stake in her chest. The sight of it every morning from her car sent palpable waves of anger coursing through her veins. Because here was the place that her Ronnie had sacrificed his life for – and what was it now?

A hollow corpse.

The place now devoid of the buzz of life and innovation that had once encompassed its magnificent structure. S.T.A.R. Labs had lost its soul the night the particle accelerator exploded.

But as she had to come realize one emerald eyed speedster had become her deliverance. Barry Allen had unexpectedly crashed into her life and turned it upside down. From the moment he had woken up from his coma Barry Allen had been rescuing her from her worst enemy, herself.

He had brought back a new life to S.T.A.R Labs, one they did not realize they had lost in the first place. He gave them all purpose once more and a reason to wake up every morning. They found their salvation through him. With every person he saved and every criminal he locked away they got a little piece of their sanity and self- respect back. Because for once there was an actual silver lining in the clouds and something good did indeed rise from the proverbial ashes of the particle accelerator.

The thought of Barry Allen always brought a smile to Caitlin's face. A smile she would plaster on her face as she made her way through the sparsely populated streets of Central City. The cool weather made Caitlin's walk an extra delight. She was so lost in her thoughts that she did not realize that she walk being watched. Ever since she had stepped out of her apartment, a pair of cold blue eyes had been glued to her.

In the early hours of the morning, Leonard Snart had found himself stationed across the street from Caitlin's apartment buildings. His gaze was locked, unwavering on the door brandished with the bronze number 18 on it. He had stared at the door in the pale early morning sun waiting with what could on be described as baited breath for the slightest hint of movement. There was a fire in his gaze, one that could burn down the entire apartment complex. With each second that passed without movement his frustration magnified.

Then the door handle shifted and Leonard felt all the oxygen leave his body because there she was standing across from him. There she was, all flesh, bone and blood. It still astounded Leonard how much the sight of her had an impact on him. He could feel his heart beat quicken and his palms begin to sweat. He was like a hormonal teenager. The sweet irony of it all was that he did not go through this stage when he was an actual teenager.

But the sight of Caitlin bathed in the brilliance of the pallid sunlight, her blue coat hanging loosely around her slim figure is breath taking. It was do different seeing her in the light. Snart could just make out the striking royal blue of her dress beneath his coat. He had always liked the color blue and now seeing it on Caitlin, it had cemented his love for the color. He admired her from afar.

After securely locking her door Caitlin had stood on the little balcony in front of her apartment and stared out at the city line. From the look of serenity on her face Leonard knew she was in quiet contemplation. He took the opportunity to simply observe her and memorize how she looked. The cascading rays of sunlight glowed around her like a halo and shimmered through her auburn curls. Snart yearned to move closer, to get a better unimpeded view of Caitlin as she stood savoring the warmth of the sun but that would be foolish – no matter how much he desired to be in her orbit. He would have to be satisfied with watching her from this distance, for now.

He tracked her progress down the steps with a predator like gaze and watched as she diverted from the path leading to the car park. He was pleasantly surprised to see that she had opted to take a stroll through the city. How ideal for him.

Snart was good at reconnaissance. He had had years of practice. He stayed ten steps behind Caitlin at all time. She was oblivious to his presence behind her. He tracked her every moved with the precision of a well- trained hunter. While walking, Snart lost all sense of time and place. His sole focus was the woman walking in front of him. She now consumed his world. The place had seemed so dull and dismal before he had found her. It was as if her very existence had brought color back to his black and white world. Snart had never found something so worthy of his attention before. Caitlin set the world back into motion for him.

However, his musing was cut short when Caitlin stopped suddenly in front of a warmly lit coffee shop. Caitlin looked up at the coffee shop and then down to the thin silver watch clasped around her dainty wrist. A small smile crept to her face and Snart locked the image away in the back of his mind. He looked up at the sign above Caitlin's head, C.C Jitters. Leonard stored the name away for future use.

He crossed the road and stood opposite the glass front of the coffee shop. He could easily track Caitlin's movement from here. He saw her wait in line and before long she was talking to a dark skinned girl at the counter. They both laughed at something and Leonard longed to be in the same room merely to hear her laughter. Before long Caitlin was handed a large cup of something, by the looks of it, it wasn't coffee. There was a short string hanging off the side of the cup so he guessed it was probably tea. He watched Caitlin walk away from the counter and move to sit at one of the small one person table to the side.

Any other time Leonard would have considered this a rash decision but today he was throwing a little of his caution to the wind. He crossed the street in long measured strides. He paused in front of the coffee shop for a minute before he pushed the door open. As soon as he entered his senses where assaulted by the scent of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries. The coffee shop was much warmer than the chilly Central City streets. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Caitlin sitting at her table. She had taken out her tablet and was studiously reading something on the screen.

Snart noted that Caitlin had taken off her long coat. The warm draft of the coffee shop did not warrant the use of the coat. Snart was glad she removed it. The large coat had looked baggy on her slim frame. He could now see her blue dress and how it clashed beautifully with her reddish brown hair.

At the counter he ordered a large black coffee from the dark skinned girl Caitlin had spoken too. The girl gave Leonard a warm flirty smile, one which he returned with a lop-sided side ways smirk. He took his coffee and proceeded to sit at table about ten feet away from Caitlin where he had an uninterrupted view of her.

Leonard was discrete with his observing. He took out his phone and proceeded to scroll through his contacts. Every now and then he look up to gaze at Caitlin for a minute before he returned his attention to his phone. Snart learned quite a bit for his silent musing. He soon found out that Caitlin bit her bottom lip when something confused and that she would unconsciously run her finger around the rim of her mug while she read.

He found himself quiet content to simply sit there and stare at Caitlin foe the entire day if he could. But Leonard knew things were never that simple.

By the time Caitlin had finished sipping her tea, she had finished reading her article. Leonard waited until she stood and gathered her coat in her arms before he made any move to get up. He allowed Caitlin to leave before he moved from his table. With one last wave to the girl behind the counter, Caitlin exited Jitters and turned left in the direction of S.T.A.R. Labs.

Snart was about to make his way out when something caught his attention.

"Did you hear about what happened at the train station?"

It was the dark skinned girl who had served him his coffee. She was speaking to her co-worker behind the counter. Intrigued by the conversation, Leonard stopped to listen for a minute. He knew he could easily catch up with Caitlin afterwards.

"They say some crazy guy with some kind of sci-fi ice laser froze the tracks and was threatening to freeze the people on board."

The comment earned an amused chuckle from Leonard. It was so amusing to hear how information got distorted as it was passed from one person to another. Ice laser- what trivial a description of his freeze gun. However, the girl next statement wiped the self-satisfied smirk off Leonard's face immediately.

"I heard that the Streak was there too. He saved everyone from the manic."

"Come on Iris. You can't be serious about this Streak thing. How do you know if the guy's even real?"

The dark skinned girl – whose name Leonard guessed was Iris- seemed to huff indignantly.

"People just refuse to believe to want they can't understand. I'm telling you Candice, he's real. Even my friend Caitlin thinks he's real, and she's a legit scientist."

Leonard felt all the blood in his veins run cold. Caitlin spoke about her affiliation with the Scarlet speedster. Was that what they were laughing about earlier? Was his Caitlin somehow attached to this fool in spandex?

The thought had a blinding rage building up inside Snart. The Scarlet Speedster had already bested him once. He would be damned if he let the fool get the better of him now.

Instead of following Caitlin back to S.T.A.R. Labs Leonard turned right and headed to his safe house. He was going to get rid of this red menace once and for all.


	5. To None But Me Will She Belong

_3_

 _Chapter 4 :-To None But Me Will She Belong._

" _Some men are like that - they get a woman in their mind, and that's that. They will destroy themselves and everyone else over her; they will let everything else fall apart."_

 __ _―_ _Paul Elwork_

The walk back to the safe house was uneventful as was expected but Snart's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. How could he have let his foolish emotions sidetrack him from the bigger picture? He had forgotten during the past two days what a nuisance the Streak would become. His mind was too absorbed by thoughts of Caitlin for him to think much about anything else. He should have known that this growing infatuation would sidetrack him from his primary goal. Snart needed to be rid of Central City's Scarlet Speedster once and for all.

The Streak needed to be exposed and eliminated for two reasons. The first reason being that he would undoubtedly try to hinder Leonard should he try to get his hands on anything of seeming value here in Central City. Of course Snart always had the option of leaving Central City, starting somewhere new. But Leonard Snart would rather drown in his own blood than let a spandex wearing speedster run him out of the only place he had ever considered home. Central City was in grained into the fabric of his being. Leaving this place would be the equivalent of giving up a prime piece of his identity.

The second and more sadistic reason for his new, burning desire to be rid of this new adversary is that the Streak knows Caitlin. He had seen the way her eyes had lit up in fear when she saw his crimson clad body crumpled on the ground at the train tracks with a gun pointed in his direction. He hated the thought that Caitlin would show such emotion towards this comical fool.

Snart needed more than anything to get rid of this man.

So Snart put aside all thoughts of Caitlin Snow.

He would have all the time in the world to memorize every freckle on her pale skin once he got rid of the Streak. Snart was going to completely destroy this menace. He was going to wipe his existence from the face of the earth, but first he was going to exposed him to Central City. He was going to quell all the rumors once and for all. He would show the people of Central City that they had put their faith in a false hero. He would show them that there was no place in this dismal world for the self-righteous and the selfless. Only the selfish survived in this world and he was going to prove that to them once and for all.

Once securely locked away in his safe house Snart set to work. He already knew the Scarlet Speedsters' weakness. His gaze drifted in the direction of his cold gun that sat peacefully in its gun case at the back of his ammo cabinet. One of those rare smiles of satisfaction spread across Leonard's face. At least he had his trump card. But the fact still remained that he was severely outnumbered.

The Streak had a team to stand behind him. Cisco and Caitlin might not be combat specialists but they had brains and in Snart's book that counted for a great deal. He knew better that to underestimate their skill, especially Caitlin. What Leonard needed was a partner, someone to have his back in a fight. The only problem there was that Snart had burned more people that he could remember. Finding someone to have his back was going to be problematic. He knew he could always call Lisa but he was only going to bring her in as a last resort. The less she was involved the better. Lisa may be good but she was too unpredictable in a fight and didn't have a handle on her emotion as well as Snart had. However, considering the predicament he was currently in, he was in no place to judge.

Snart's list of contacts was a short one. He worked with very few people, since most weren't the material Leonard was looking for. He knew he needed someone who wouldn't quell under the notion that they were going up against a so called super hero. Snart also needed someone he knew could handle themselves in a fight. He wasn't going to be baby-sitting anyone.

That left him with very few options to consider.

Going to his laptop, Leonard entered the database of all his known associates, looking through those who weren't dead or incarcerated. While searching through the database one name caught his eyes.

Mick Rory.

Snart had worked with him a couple of years back on a painting heist. The guy was good at being muscle but he wasn't fully functional in the head. Mick had been burned badly in a heist gone wrong and he had this delusional notion that the fire had revealed his true self. Snart didn't care much for his unorthodox thinking but the man could be helpful. Snart sighed to himself.

Was he really going to call in Mick? Did he really have to stoop so low as to call in someone for backup?

He detested the notion but he knew better. Leonard needed someone else on his side. He needed to have someone there to watch his back, literally. It wasn't an ideal situation but nothing in Snart's life had ever gone according to plan. He had gone and gotten himself hooked on the Streak's personal physician for crying out loud. He could most definitely bare to have Mick as his partner if it meant defeating Central City's Scarlet Speedster.

So without any further deliberation, Snart made a few calls and managed to find out Mick's last known location. He was not surprised to hear it was a run-down apartment on the bad side of town.

How fitting.

He wasted no time and departs his safe house, a knife strapped to his side and a gun holstered on his waist. He and Mick may have been partners once but you could never be too cautious when dealing with ex-convicts. Snart knew better obviously.

He hopped onto his motor cycle and made his way across town. The city lights phased into one blur of color as he cruised down the interstate. Soon enough Leonard pulled off the main highway and took the road leading into the bad side of Central City.

Old three story apartment buildings lined both sides of the road. Their paint long since faded and widows grey from dust and no attention. The streets with litter and trash as if even the garbage truck refused to come to this side of town. There were a couple of bums sleeping on the side walk or huddle by the cliché barrel with a dancing flame lit inside.

Snart looked around in disgust. Even at his lowest moment he wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this. The stench of disappointment hung in the air. People eyed his suspiciously as he cruised through the street looking for Mick's building.

According to his contacts Mick lived in the last building on the main street. Coming closer to the end of the road, Snart stopped in front of a dismal looking building. It wasn't as shabby as the previous ones but it had clearly been through a great deal and had been neglected for the greater part of its existence. Snart parked his motor cycle on the curb and looked around.

A few of the local had gathered to investigate the new stranger in their midst. Snart switch of the ignition and subtly placed the keys in his pocket. In doing so he had risen his jacket and shirt just enough for the butt of his gun to be visible. The more aggressive ones in the crowd saw it immediately and backed away. Leonard smirked to the crowd. At least these people knew their place in society.

Making his way up the small flight of stairs Snart stopped at the top and for his own amusement decided to look at the list of residence posted on the wall. The paper had long since turned yellow with age and the name faded beyond understanding, but Snart knew to expect that. He looked for Mick's room number and pressed the buzzer beside it. As expected there was no sound. Snart simply pushed the front door open and enter the dimly lit corridor. He walked to the end of the hall and opened the door leading to the stair case. He had no hope that the elevator was working in this place. Mick's room was on the third floor so it wasn't a long trek for Snart. He easily ascended the three flights of steps until he came to the third floor.

According to the information he had received Mick's room was number 15. Snart walked down the hall until he came upon the door embellished with the rusty numbers. The 5 was missing and the 1 was crooked. Snart chuckled at the dilapidated state of the door. He sobered up after a couple of seconds and steadied himself for the encounter to come.

Leonard rapped his knuckle against the door and waited for a response from inside. At first there was no reply from within so Snart knocked again. There was clanging coming from inside as if cans were being thrown to the ground. There was a scratching sound against the door as if a chain was pulled back. The door opened a crack and Snart could see piece of Mick's face peering back at him.

Suddenly the door swung open and Snart was face to face with none other than Mick Rory. His former partner had lost a lot of weight during his time in prison and after the life threatening accident. As much as he had lost weight he still towered over Leonard by a good four inches and had had more bulk on him.

"Christ Snart! It's been a while you son of a bitch!" Mick exclaimed before dragging Snart into a one sided awkward hug. Leonard merely patted Mick's back lightly hoping to get the encounter over with as fast as possible.

"It's been a while Mick." Snart retorted, "Sorry 'bout the accident."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Mick said with a serious edge to his voice, "The universe has mysterious ways of showing us over true selves. It showed me mine through the roaring inferno of a blazing fire."

Snart didn't have a response for Mick. The guy was clearly off his knocker and Leonard was beginning to have reservations about his decision. Mick was clearly very far gone but that was just one aspect of his persons. Snart could still use him in the long run.

Mick stepped aside and made room for Snart to enter. The room was not what he expected. It wasn't as dingy as the outside of the building although beer cans did line the short coffee table and wall paper had lost its color over the years. The television was on mute but some sappy soap opera was showing. Snart had no doubt that Mick had it on just for the background entertainment. There was no way Mick would degrade himself to watch daytime dramas no matter how much he claimed the fire had changed him.

Snart shifted a couple of beer cans with his feet before making his way over to the worn out arm chair. He sat down and leaned forward to grab one of the unopened beers on the table. After opening it and taking a long drink he placed the can back on the table and waited for Mick to sit down. Once the other man was seated he didn't was anytime getting to the bottom of the visit.

"Not that I'm not happy for the company but what are you doing here Snart?" Mick asked. Snart looked at him for a moment, questioning his decision to seek Mick's help. In the end Snart saw no reason not to seek Mick's help, he was after all the only one he could still consider an ally. Calling him a friend would be asking too much.

"I need your help."

Mick looked confused for a moment. Snart was never one to seek other people out, much less to ask for their assistance. There had to be a catch somewhere, something in it for Leonard himself. Mick knew better and was weary of Snart's presence.

"What's the catch?" Mick asked bluntly. Snart chuckled quietly, "Straight to the point. I like that."

Snart got up and stood in front of Mick. He studied him for a moment and Mick began to fidget under Snart's gaze. Snart may have been younger and physically smaller than him but the man could be intimidating in his own unique way.

"I want you to help me kill Central City's Scarlet speedster."

If Mick had been drinking his beer he would have surely choked. He must have heard Leonard wrong. There was no way Snart believed that the Scarlet Speedster existed? Mick must have drank more beer than he thought.

"I'm sorry but I don't think I heard you correctly." Mick said putting down in beer can and moving a little closer to Snart.

"You know I hate to repeat myself Mick but I will do it this once for your benefit. I want you to help me kill Central City's Scarlet speedster." Snart said, clearly agitated that this was man was comprehending such a simple statement.

Mick shook his head, as if trying to remove the cob weds from his brain. Snart was playing him for a fool. That was it! This was all just a joke. Snart was trying to pull one over on him.

Snart's agitation soon dissipated into confusion as Mick Rory let out a wild howl of laughter. The man's entire body shook as if it was wracked with fits of laughter and hysteria.

"That's a really good one Snart. You really had me for a minute there," Mick said through his fits humor, "I didn't think you actually believed all those rumors about this Streak running around Central City like a red covered vigilante!"

Snart clenched his hands into two compact fists. He had to restrain himself from launching at the man still across from him. Mick didn't know what was going on out there; he was locked up for far too long. He needed to reacclimatized to the new world they were living in.

"Mick," Snart snapped hoping to get the bigger man's attention, "I wasn't joking and the Streak is real."

Mick seemed to sober up marginally, but he was not completely convinced. "How do I know you're not just trying to make me look an ass?"

Snart gave Mick a condescending look, "Am I known for trying to make people look like asses? That isn't in my repertoire Mick."

Mick tensed up immediately. He knew that tone well. He wasn't worried about besting Snart in a fight. He was physically bigger and stronger but Snart was clever and tricky. He would probably out a bullet between Mick's eyes before he could properly get off his couch. That tone also signalled Snart was not joking, although the man wasn't known for being a stand-up comedian. That tone said no arguments and Mick knew Snart was being completely serious about his request.

"Alright Snart," Mick began trying to pacify the agitated thief, "Let's say this Streak is real, how in God's name are we supposed to kill that fucker huh? We don't exactly have super powers now do we?"

It was then Mick saw something even rarer then the most treasured secrets in the world, Leonard Snart smiling.

"Don't worry Mick I have that under control."

 **Sorry for the late update. I've been so busy with school and university applications that I haven't had much time to write. I hope this makes it up to all my great, superb readers a little. Not much angst but were getting there.**


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